Vaughn Greenwood
Vaughn Orrin Greenwood (January 19, 1944 – December 18, 2020) was an American serial killer, known in the press as the Skid Row Slasher.
Vaughn Greenwood | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vaughn Orrin Greenwood January 19, 1944 Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 18, 2020 (aged 76) California Men's Colony, San Luis Obispo, California |
| Other names | Skid Row Slasher |
| Conviction(s) | |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 11 murdered, 1 survivor |
Span of crimes | 1964–1975 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California |
Date apprehended | February 3, 1975 |
Crimes
The first attacks occurred when Greenwood killed two transients in November 1964. A ten-year gap period between murders occurred due to Greenwood being convicted and sentenced due to a knifing assault in Chicago in 1966. He spent five and a half years in jail for this conviction before returning to California. Greenwood continued his murder spree in December 1974 and killed nine victims between December 1974 and February 1975.
Greenwood was convicted of nine counts of murder, including eight of the "Skid Row Slasher" killings in Southern California.[1] The "Slasher" victims had their throats cut from ear to ear.[2] There was evidence that the killer drank the blood of the victims.[1] Greenwood left cups of blood and rings of salt around the corpses.[2][1] The items left around the bodies have caused some to believe the murders to be linked to Satanism. This is disputed by K.V. Lanning.[3]
On 19 January 1977, Greenwood was sentenced to life imprisonment.[4]
Victims
These are the Skid Row Slasher's known victims in chronological order of attack:[5]
| Number | Name | Sex | Age | Body found |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Russell | M | N/A | November 13, 1964 |
| 2 | Benjamin Hornberg | M | 67 | November 14, 1964 |
| 3 | Charles Jackson | M | 46 | December 1, 1974 |
| 4 | Moses Yakanac | M | 47 | December 8, 1974 |
| 5 | Arthur Dahlstedt | M | 54 | December 11, 1974 |
| 6 | David Perez | M | 42 | December 22, 1974 |
| 7 | Casimir Strawinski | M | 58 | January 9, 1975 |
| 8 | Robert Shannahan | M | 46 | January 17, 1975 |
| 9 | Samuel Suarez | M | 49 | January 1975 |
| 10 | George Frias | M | 45 | January 29, 1975 |
| 11 | Clyde Hays | M | 34 | January 31, 1975 |
| 12 | William Graham | M | N/A | Survived |
See also
References
- ^ a b c "'Slasher' jury finds man guilty", The Spokesman Review, December 29, 1976 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19761229&id=a-QRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=q-0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3464,5899411
- ^ a b "Suspect Booked in L.A. Stabbings". Spokane Daily Chronicle. 8 December 1978. p. 1.
- ^ Lester, David, PhD (1995). Serial Killers. Philadelphia: The Charles Press, Publishers. p. 167. ISBN 0-914783-77-7.
- ^ Newton, Michael (1990). Hunting Humans: An Encyclopedia of Modern Serial Killers. Loompanics Unlimited. ISBN 9781559500265.
- ^ "Vaughn Greenwood". skcentral.com. Retrieved 2011-10-05.